While that battle is heated, the stats don't lie: Saban is a recruiting machine.

Nothing against Meyer, who has reeled in some fantastic classes at Florida and did so in his first season at Ohio State, but Saban is the best of the best.

Since taking over at Alabama in 2007, Saban's Alabama teams have finished higher than Urban Meyer's Florida and Ohio State teams in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings. Saban has bested Meyer in the rankings in three of the five years in which both coaches were in the business.

In three of those seasons (2008, 2009, 2012) Saban has reeled in the nation's No. 1 overall class. Meyer signed the nation's top class only once, and that was in 2007—Saban's first year at Alabama.

Not all of these tactics work. His Skype conversation with Brice Ramsey hasn't swayed the Georgia commit from Athens, and his letter barrage to Alvin Kamara hasn't resulted in a commitment yet.

But they get the attention of recruits, and that's what matters.

It was this type of tenacity that has resulted in the flip of several key contributors, including freshman running back T.J. Yeldon, who signed with Alabama in 2012 after being committed to Auburn earlier in the process.

In his first three games in Tuscaloosa, Yeldon has 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Meyer is a stud on the recruiting trail too. He has already forced Big Ten recruiting to evolve into the 21st century by recruiting players that are committed elsewhere, drawing the ire of his fellow Big Ten coaches in the process.

Both coaches are consistently elite, but Saban's ceiling has proven to be higher than Meyer's.

They were the rivals in the SEC, they are rivals on the recruiting trail, and don't be surprised if they become rivals in the national title mix once Ohio State gets through its current sanctions.